Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-07
DAILY HERALD.
HORNED SNAKES.
8sraagc Stories Of the Reptile Pc.
cunarities I'm Georgia.


cuMarities I'm Georgia.
TAYLOR Strickland, an intelligent col
Ored man, was telling to-day about the
big snake that he and James Tuttle
killed few days ago in Kelley's bot
tom, near here. 1t was one of the
species known as the bull or horned
snake. resembling in color the rattle
snake, and nearly seven feet in length.
II had large, bull-like head, slen-
der neck, and on the end of its tail q
sharp horn two inches or more long.
At sight of us, he said, it threw it.
self into an angry coil, with head up,
ready for battle.
"But that is not the first snake of
that kind ever saw. Years ago, be-
fore the war, when was boy living
with old Mass'er Strickland, we killed
one during wheat harvest. The
Graders, on going to dinner, left their
cradles in the shade of large null
berry tree, and when we returned an
enormous snake of this kind was
found with his horn buried in the
body of the tree, unable to free itself.
The leaves of the tree had already
withered and the tree died. Its stump
is still there, and you can see it any
time"
"Dis snake" remarked an old
darkey, "muser had er power O. fun
in de pas twenty-five years. He muser
mos split his sides latin at dis nigger
runnin' one time. wuz in dar hunt
in er stray calf, when hear sumfun
blow. De noise made me feel sorter
lonesome like, when all er sudden it
blow off er gin, den l see dat snake
gittin' down torde' wha 1 wuz right
den fo'med de quickk'us 'pinion l
ever did. 1t wur a kase OF Emergency,
and melted dat 'mergency. 1t wuz
or time for prayer und speed. My legs
never did work better nor dey did on
dat kasion. Spec run more n or
mile er mint, und eft hadn't bin fur
de creek he'd kotch me sho nuf. 1t
was wide und deep dar, but l made
one spring und jis touch to top O. de
water und made anoder spring und
landed on de odder side. Spec de wat
ter changed he mind, for see no mo
O. Mr.. Snake after dat"
81 remember seeing one of those
snakes" said Uncle Ed Davenport,
who is a recognized oracle of Incl
dents in the far-away past. 'It was
about noon of hot June day that |
was riding along between Warsaw and
the State bridge, in what was then
Forsyth county, but is Wilkes now,
when some distance ahead l noticed
an object stretched across the road,
which on nearer approach 1 found to
be very large snake, apparently
lo l., 1ra
round just back of the head. Each
was perfectly motionless, and for
time | sat there watching them, until
becoming tired l dismounted, and
walking up to them tapped the little
snake with my riding switch. 1t in
stantly uncoiled and crawled away a
short distance. Curious to see
the result, l stepped into the
shade and sat down to watch.
The king snake cautiously returned
to within few feet of the other, and
AAttened down to await movements OF
the larger; it hadn't long to wait.
Soon the large snake began to show
signs of life, its body moved, it swelled
out little, then slowly raised its head.
Quicker it seemed than it would take
zone to bat his eye, like a flash the
king snake was around it in the exact
place, choking out its life. That even
ing my partner in passing saw the
larger snake dead, seeming that the
king snake had done just what it seems
their mission to do-killed the poison
GUS one. From the stumpy appear
ance OF its tail judged it to have been
the horned snake with the horn bro
ken off,"
THE king snake is an interesting
character in the reptile kingdom" re-
marked drummer. Years ago l
had friend who was interested in
developing some coal fields on the
Black Warrior, in Alabama. One day
they came into a den of poisonous
snakes. The place seemed reptile
paradise. The hill was full of coal,
but to stand on a moccasin, with a
copperhead behind and rattler be-
fore, placed coal at too great dis
count to make it profitable. An old
sand mountain citizen came forward
and offered to take the contract OF de-
stroying for a five dollar bill, and only
twenty-four hours time to do it in,
providing a quart of whisky was pro-
duced to sorter cheer him up. The
bargain was closed and the sand
hitler left. The next evening when
my friend visited the place he was
mortified to see 19S venomous reptiles
lying not dozen feet from their tools
which half dozen of the king snakes
had crushed the life out Of Atlanta